The Choice

By: Gillian McAllister

Narrated by: Katharine Lee McEwan

“I literally could not put this book down. Razor sharp, brilliantly written, and utterly gripping.” —Rosie Walsh, New York Times bestselling author of The Love of my Life

From the author of the Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick Wrong Place, Wrong Time and Famous Last Words comes a captivating, Sliding Doors thriller about a woman with a dark secret who must make an impossible decision that threatens to upend her world...

It's the end of a night out and Joanna is walking home alone. Then she hears the sound every woman dreads: footsteps behind her, getting faster. She's sure it's him—the man from the bar who wouldn't leave her alone. So Joanna makes a snap decision. She turns, she pushes. Her pursuer tumbles down the steps and lies motionless, facedown on the ground. Now what?

Addictive and compelling, The Choice follows the two paths Joanna's future might take, depending on the choice she makes. If she calls the police right away, she can save the man's life. Yet doing so puts her own innocence at risk, as she waits for judgment on a charge of assault and the hope that her husband and everyone she loves will stand by her. But if she runs and goes home as if nothing has happened, no one will ever know. No one saw her do it, and it's only up to Joanna to keep quiet...forever.

Critic reviews

One of Wisconsin Public Radio’s Summer Reading Picks

"A Sliding Doors thriller with a moral dilemma at its heart. Brilliant." —Claire Douglas, author of Last Seen Alive

“The Choice, Gillian McAllister’s almost unbearably tense novel, divides its narrative into alternative stories, ‘Sliding Doors’-style, playing out two possible futures in one person’s life. It’s such a fascinating thought, how a moment can change everything….The Choice is less a conventional thriller than a morality tale, a granular exploration of secrecy and guilt—how they corrode, how they poison a psyche—in the manner of Crime and Punishment or The Tell-Tale Heart.” –The New York Times Book Review

“[A] moral thought-provoker. [The Choice] seeks to give readers that glimpse of how differently a life can unfold based on one simple action (or inaction).” –Self

"The suspense of each story line is compelling in this well-written novel, but the weightier value of The Choice is in author Gillian McAllister's probing questions about morality and responsibility, questions which—like most things related to human nature—have no easy answers.” —Mystery Scene

"[A] smart, ferociously paced novel...The clever, fresh structure...will keep thriller enthusiasts glued to the page as they flip by." —Booklist (starred review)

“I literally could not put this book down. This isn’t a far-fetched psychological thriller; this is a deeply human novel about a split-second, life-changing decision any woman could find herself having to make. What would I do? I found myself asking, from the very first page. Razor sharp, brilliantly written, and utterly gripping. Highly recommended.” —Rosie Walsh, author of Ghosted

"A terrific premise, delivered with panache." —Clare Mackintosh, author of After the End

"Assured and gripping." —Alex Marwood, author of Wicked Girls

"An addictive, exciting and devilishly clever book." —Holly Seddon, author of Try Not to Breathe

A solid B+ and stressfully addictive

The Choice inevitably didn't disappoint, but I was eager to finish it. There's a somewhat grueling ascent to the storylines' (yes, plural) climax, but the much quicker descent to the end was satisfying. It's technically crime fiction, but psychologically gripping — not a thriller or suspense, but it has hooks.

For the most part, you know what's going on at all times, you just have no idea where it's going. The lead character has immature habits, but is also endearing and painfully relatable. Her character development and trajectory through a barrage of traumas is bittersweet. Still, I rooted for her. However, there are a number of peripheral details that seems completely unbelievable or unlikely, but it's fiction — and, fiction is fictional.

An hour or two in, I bumped up the narration speed to 1.3x ... I was pot committed to the book, but really needed to get to the end. When I returned to 1.0x it sounded like dramatic slow-mo ... the narrator has a very lovely voice, but her style is sloooooow. Usually I'd appreciate that, but not for this book lol.

I had just listened to Wrong Place, Wrong time by Gillian McAllister, which set an extremely high bar — IMO, that book was A++ and probably the only reason I gave The Choice a chance, but glad I did. However, if you've not read / listened to "Wrong Place, Wrong Time" skip this book and find that one.

Brilliant beyond expectations

Gillian McAllister has incredible talent! My new favorite, having just finished Wrong Place Wrong Time, and that also rocking my world.

A big accolades to Katharine Lee McEwan for the beautiful narration. I’m American and have been silently thinking all my thoughts in your beautiful voice and accent lately. :)

I spent the last few days riveted to this audio book; moved by the prose so much I jotted down lovely phrases. And in more embarrassing moments, I stayed up too late listening, and sobbed out loud, thinking of being in her shoes; playing out these stories. Thank you for such beautiful work, Gillian. Loved it. Hope you see this.

Loved it

The story captivated me from the first chapter and I enjoyed the narrator very much.

Unusually well crafted story

Stick with this one even if the protagonist irritates the hell out of you. I couldn’t stand Joanna at first and almost gave up, but curiosity won me over. The characters all grow and change in very human and rewarding ways. The incident that sparks Joanna’s two possible paths changes more lives than hers. This book is well worth the effort.

Fun to conceal or reveal

Makes you think! And really fun. Clever way to tell a story about making a decision at the moment it happens